One day, king Krishnadeva Raya displayed a portrait of his in the court, made by some artist. Everyone appreciated both the artist and the portrait; only Raman remained silent. On this the king asked him if he had anything to say.
Raman replied that the artist didn’t deserve credit since he painted only one side of the king’s face. The king replied that for a good painting one had to imagine a lot. He asked Raman to show how to do a good painting if he didn’t like the artist’s work. Furthermore, he asked to bring it when done. Raman had been absent from the court for a few days. A few days later, he entered the court with two men holding the painting. Everyone could see only the back of the horse in his painting and so everyone was intrigued.
When asked about this Raman replied that the body of the horse was outside the frame and, hence, everyone had to imagine the horse’s body, if they wanted to see a good painting. On this the king laughed aloud and rewarded Raman for his wit.
